Sirius Black - Wanderer of Worlds
by Lytanathan
Summary: When Sirius Black fell through the Veil, he did not die. Or maybe he did, but he didn't stay dead. Instead, he began a journey that would span many alternate worlds and dimensions, with one goal in mind: he had to return to Harry. Rated T for language and mature-ish themes, may change to M at some point in the unknown future. Chapters are short, but posted frequently.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise, nor any of the various anime, games, or whatnot that may be crossed-over now or in the future. (Almost) all the characters and settings in this story are the property of their respective creators, which are not me. There will be one notable exception, but that is quite a ways off in the future yet. Anyways...

**PROLOGUE**

* * *

- Excerpt from Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix, by J.K. Rowling -

Only one pair was still battling, apparently unaware of the new arrival. Harry saw Sirius duck Bellatrix's jet of red light: he was laughing at her.

"Come on, you can do better than that!" he yelled, his voice echoing around the cavernous room.

The second jet of red light hit him squarely on the chest.

The laughter had not quite died from his face, but his eyes widened in shock.

Harry released Neville, though he was unaware of doing so. He was jumping down the steps again, pulling out his wand, as Dumbledore, too, turned towards the dias.

It seemed to take Sirius an age to fall, his body curved in a graceful arc as he sank backwards through the ragged veil hanging from the arch.

Harry saw the look of mingled fear and surprise on his godfather's wasted, once-handsome face as he fell through the antient doorway and disappeared behind the veil, which fluttered for a moment as though in a high wind, then fell back into place.

- End excerpt -

* * *

_Wait, what just happened? _thought Sirius, as he slipped backwards through the arch. He saw the look of dread upon his godson's face, James's son, who was charging down the steps towards him. Sirius was about to call out to Harry, but as he passed through the veil everything went dark, and his voice failed him.

An unknown time later...

Sirius floated through the nothingness. He could see nothing, not even his own body. He could hear nothing, not even his own breath. He could feel nothing, not even his heartbeat. He did not even know how long he'd been here, as there was nothing to mark the passage of moments. The concept of time was practically meaningless here. Was he dead? He didn't know. He would have thought that James and Lily would have welcomed him upon arriving in the afterlife, but neither of them, nor anyone else, were here.

His cousin Bellatrix had cursed him. It hadn't even been a powerful curse, barely strong enough to stun him, but apparently that had still been enough to knock him backwards through the literal doorway to "the next great adventure," as Dumbledore had been prone to calling it.

The next great adventure. Please, if this was the next great adventure, I'd rather sit it out, Sirius thought.

After what seemed like an eternity hanging in the void, Sirius became aware of something... else... in the darkness. It started as a glow in the distance, of an odd green colour. It reminded him of the green light of the killing curse, but the shade was slightly off.

He drifted towards the source of the glow, or perhaps it drifted closer to him. Maybe both, it was impossible to tell in the otherwise featureless emptiness. The glow got larger and brighter as Sirius got closer to it. As it got brighter, he found his senses returning. He could see himself again. His breath sounded wonderful to his ears. He rejoiced in the sound of his own heartbeat. Soon, Sirius was face-to-face with the source of the glow. Or, he would be if it _had_ a face.

The glow was being caused by a strange, egg-shaped blob that hung in the emptiness. Sirius knew it was probably a bad idea, but he reached out to touch it. He was already dead anyway, he figured, what could it do? Kill him again?

When his hand came into contact with the blob, he felt a tugging sensation, as if the blob was trying to pull his hand in. He tried to pull his hand free, but found there was some sort of suction - his hand was stuck. Struggling to pull his hand out, the blob began tugging as well. It quickly engulfed Sirius's arm up to his elbow, then his shoulder.

"PADFOOT," a deep, ominous voice called out from the darkness. It had a somewhat familiar sound to it, like it belonged to someone he knew. Sirius stopped struggling for a moment.

"Who's there?" he called out. Then, as the blob resumed it's attempt to draw him in, he turned his attention back to it and once again tried to pull his arm free.

"HARRY STILL NEEDS YOU, PADFOOT. YOU MUST FIND YOUR WAY BACK."

"No shit, Sherlock!" Sirius shouted back at the voice, apparently unaware that he was using a modern Muggle colloquialism. "But if you haven't noticed, there aren't really any landmarks here! And unless you have directions back to Earth, I'm kinda stuck here!"

"Merlin's beard, Sirius, you are an idiot!" called a second voice, this one more feminine than the first. A familiar red-headed woman manifested near him.

"Lily? Is that you? Then the other voice must be..."

"Yeah, it's me, James. Sorry, Padfoot, but it's so rare I get to use the OMINOUS VOICE." James appeared beside Lily. Sirius-ly though, you need to get home. Harry is going to be in a lot of trouble for a while, and he needs his godfather's help. The green thing here is a portal, but we can't use it. Only you can. It won't take you home, though, it's only the first step on a long journey..."

Upon seeing his deceased friend, Sirius nearly burst into tears. He would have embraced his fellow dead man, but with one arm em-portaled, it wasn't possible. Still, he tried his best to perform a one-arm man-hug with ol' Prongs.

Once they finally released each other, Sirius looked James in the eye. Nodding ever-so-slightly, "I won't let you down," he said. He turned to the green blob that still held his arm.

He stopped resisting, deciding that where-ever it took him probably better than just floating about in the endless void. And he had to get back to Harry somehow, after all. He closed his eyes and let the blob completely absorb him.

For a moment, everything went white. Though Sirius did not know where the portal would take him, he knew one thing. Harry needed him. The same determination that enabled Sirius to do the impossible and escape from Azkaban prison returned, and he would stop at nothing until he once again stood at his godson's side.

* * *

Well, there's the prologue. +2 Internet points to anyone who can guess where Sirius ends up first. I'd award more, but it should be pretty obvious to anyone familiar with the correct work.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise, nor any of the various anime, games, or whatnot that may be crossed-over now or in the future. (Almost) all the characters and settings in this story are the property of their respective creators, which are not me. There will be one notable exception, but that is quite a ways off in the future yet. Anyways...

* * *

For a moment, everything went white. Though Sirius did not know where the portal would take him, he knew one thing. Harry needed him. The same determination that enabled Sirius to do the impossible and escape from Azkaban prison returned, and he would stop at nothing until he once again stood at his godson's side.

Suddenly, Sirius found his ears ringing badly. He forced his eyes back open, but was greeted by a large cloud of dust and smoke that had him completely surrounded. As the ringing in his ears subsided, he heard voices, mostly voices of children, but there was at least one adult voice mixed in as well. He couldn't understand the language, however it did sound vaguely familiar. French perhaps?

As the dust cloud subsided, he began to make out the shapes of people around him. They looked to be... schoolchildren. Most of them were holding wands, marking them as witches and wizards, but their uniforms were nothing like Hogwarts, Durmstrang, or even Beauxbatons, casting doubt on Sirius's assumption that he was in France. Canada maybe?

A young girl with pink hair was shouting about something to the one adult in the group, an older man with a bald head. The bald man shook his head, and said... well, he said something. Damn the bloody language barrier. If only Sirius had had his wand, he could have managed a translation charm or something. But it seemed that while his clothes had come with him (which was fortunate, especially considering half of the children were girls, and they were _far_ too young for him) his wand had not.

Perhaps he could pantomime something they could understand? Back in the day, Lily had taught James and him the muggle game Charades, and Sirius was quite good at acting words out. He moved to get up, but found his body wouldn't respond to commands yet. He had been floating around in a featureless void without really moving for who-knows-how-long, after all.

Still, he tried to listen in on the conversation anyways. It may not be a language he understood, but there are often similarities between languages, and even if he only catches a word or two, he might be able to figure something out from there.

So he listened. And to his dismay, a few words did pop out. Something about a ritual, and completing a ceremony... _uh oh_. Coming from a family with a long Dark history, Sirius knew a few things about rituals. And he'd either stumbled into and interrupted one (an act that could often have dire consequences, even disregarding the probable negative reaction of the wizards conducting said ritual) or he was the subject of one (which was probably much worse for him, and harder to escape from to boot.)

The pink-haired girl came over to him, and knelt next to his head. She muttered something to him, he thought he heard the word "noble" in there somewhere... did they know who he was? But then the even-more-unexpected happened, and the girl kissed him right there in front of the entire crowd!

Sirius' initial thoughts were along the lines of "Sweet Merlin, this girl is way to young for me." His second though was more "Is this some kind of forced marriage ceremony or something? Are they trying to lay claim to the Black family vaults?" But both thoughts were pushed aside by an increasingly-painful burning sensation coming from his wrist. Tired, in pain, and just generally unwell after recovering from a bout of death, Sirius finally gave in and passed out right there in the grass.

* * *

When he later regained consciousness, Sirius found himself in, judging by the white decor and numerous beds, the hospital wing of... where-ever he was. The pink-haired girl sat at a chair next to him, a strange look of combined worry, anger, and resignation on her face. She hadn't noticed he was awake yet.

"Hey," he said, sitting up.

The girl turned to him, startled. Realizing that he was awake, she called out to someone. A woman in a white nurse outfit came into view from around a corner. Now _there_ was someone Sirius would be willing to hit on. Tall, large-chested, with long curly hair that reached to her waist. Sure the hair was _green_, but judging by the crowd he arrived in the middle of, odd hair colours seemed to be the norm here. Most importantly, however, _this _woman was obviously not a minor. There were some lines even he, Sirius Black, notorious womanizer and de-flowerer of half the girls of his Hogwarts graduating class, would not cross.

The nurse came over, said something Sirius did not understand, and began examining him. As her hands moved across his body, probably examining for broken bones or other injuries of some sort, Sirius sat there with a stupid, somewhat perverted grin on his face. He made comments here and there, innuendo that got less and less subtle and would have likely embarrassed the woman had she understood what he was saying.

So focused was he on the attractive nurse that he payed no attention to the pink-haired child less than three feet away. He missed the irritated twitching of her eyebrows, and the way her wand seemed to jump in her shaking hand. When she could stand Sirius's nonsensical babbling (from her point-of-view, anyway) no more, she screamed something in that possibly-French language Sirius couldn't understand, and the room exploded.

When the dust cleared, Sirius could see that the room was devastated. The nurse was thrown against the far wall, dazed and covered in soot but otherwise it seemed she was uninjured. The pink-haired girl, however, was completely untouched.

"Wow, for a kid you sure pack a punch," Sirius said, gaining a small measure of respect for the young girl.

"Who are you calling a kid?" the girl screamed at him, raising her wand again.

"Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean it like that!" Sirius defended himself, holding both hands up in surrender. "Wait a minute," he muttered, lowering his hands slightly. "You understood me," he said curiously. "And I understood you."

The girl paused at this for a moment. "Dammit, dammit, dammit! Louise the Zero fails again! That was supposed to be a silencing spell!" she yelled, mostly at herself.

"Well, intentional or not, I think this is much more useful," Sirius said seriously. "And that explosion, you've obviously got a lot of power there, you just need to learn some control."

"DO YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW THAT?" the girl, now identified as Louise, screamed. Then, with a look of dejection upon her face, she lowered her wand. "This wasn't supposed to happen," she muttered, straining against the tears that were forming in her eyes. "I was supposed to summon a majestic creature. A dragon, or a griffin or something. A lion! Even a dog would have been better than summoning this common plebeian!"

"Hey, easy with the name-calling there!" Sirius joked. "So, you'd rather a dog, would you? Perhaps I can help you there..." On a whim, he shifted into his Animagus form, a large black dog, and let his tongue loll out the side of his mouth while he wagged his tail.

Unfortunately, this did not have the effect Sirius had been hoping for. Hell, he didn't even know _what_ effect he'd been hoping for, but what was about to happen definitely was not it.

Louise stared at him a moment, a look of surprise quickly replaced by fear. She took a half step backward. "Oh, no! I've kidnapped a noble!" she exclaimed. "This is bad, this is bad, this is very, very bad!"

Sirius changed back into a human. "Hey, calm down! It's alright. If anything, you saved my life," Sirius said. And as far as he knew, it was true. If she had 'summoned' him somehow, then she was likely responsible for the portal. And without that, he'd still be stuck in that... horrible place. He struck a deep bow. "Sirius Orion Black, at your service, madam."

Louise looked at him suspiciously. Then, she sighed, and curtsied in return. "Louise Françoise le Blanc de La Vallière ," she said.

As the two straightened out and looked at each other, Sirius had a thought. "How'd you know I was noble, anyway? It's not like I'd proclaimed myself as Lord Black of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black or anything.

Louise gave him a curious look. "You used magic," she said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Sirius was worried he knew where this would lead. "And... what does that have to do with it?" he asked.

Unable to determine whether this... Sirius character... was crazy or stupid, Louise explained. "Nobles are mages, mages are nobles. The Founder Brimir gave the gift of magic to the nobility, to set them apart from the common rabble." she explained. "You used magic, so you must be a noble."

_Oh, great. And here I thought I might have gotten away from the pureblooded supremacy. I guess I just can't escape, can I? _Sirius thought to himself. "Oh, where to begin..." he muttered.

* * *

Louise was exhausted. There were no classes today for the second-year students, because today was the day they were supposed to bond with their newly-summoned familiars. Louise didn't so much "bond" with hers as spend the day being interrogated by him. He had asked question upon question about the Academy, the country they were in, (He didn't even know it was called Tristain!), Louise's own life and history, and generally everything that anyone and everyone should have known but he was somehow ignorant of. She had not yet considered the idea he may not be from Halkeginia at all. Not until that evening, at least, when Sirius looked up into the sky and saw not one, but two, moons.

"Umm, Louise, is that normal?" Sirius asked, still looking at the night sky.

"Is what normal?" Louise asked, her lack of energy evident in her voice,

"That," Sirius said, gesturing at the sky. "There's two moons here."

"Of course there's two moons, there's always been two moons! Are you telling me you don't even know that much?"

"Well, where I come from, there was only one." Then, more quietly to himself, he muttered. "I guess Lily and James were right. I'm nowhere near home, I'm not even in the same bloody world! How am I going to get back?"

Apparently he hadn't spoken quietly enough. Louise heard part of his utterance, and asked, "Are... you saying you're from another world?"

Sirius sighed. "That's exactly what I'm saying. And my godson is still there, and he's in danger. But I have no idea how to get back to him!"

For the first time, Louise realized that 'kidnapping a noble' was not the worst part of what she'd accidentally done. She'd taken a man from his family, a family that needed his protection. Right then and there, Louise came to a decision and made a vow. "I swear on my honour as a noble and a mage that we'll find a way to get you home," she said solemnly. She may end up losing her familiar, but knowingly severing a family was unthinkable.

Sirius gave her a curious look. After a minute of silence, "Thank you. And in return, I will do everything in my power to make you a mage worthy of the name." She had told him of her personal history of failure, and it reminded him of the stories Harry told about his dorm-mate Neville Longbottom. A boy who only recently showed that he was brave enough to join the "rescue team" and took part in the fight against the Death Eaters. The boy had merely been lacking in confidence, and Sirius was sure that was part of Louise's problem. He held his hand out, inviting Louise to take hold of it. "Partners?"

Louise regarded the hand the older man was presenting to her. She wondered what her mother would think about her working closely together with a man twice her age. No, Sirius wasn't just any man. She had summoned him from across the cosmos, that had to mean something. Taking his hand with a solid grip that Sirius was not expecting from such a young child, Louise said firmly, "Partners."

* * *

For the next few days, Sirius spent most of his time wandering around the Academy campus, talking with the teachers and staff, and flirting not only with the attractive nurse from before, but also the Headmaster's secretary. There were other women as well, but most of them were either teachers much older than him, or kitchen servants barely out of their teens.

He was, in a way, fortunate that Louise had recognized that he was nobility, even if his title meant nothing here. What it did mean was that the pink-haired girl treated him not as a subordinate as his status would suggest, but rather as an equal. Well, equal as far as status was concerned. In the magic department, she regarded him as a mentor, far more skilled than she had ever realistically hoped to be.

And Sirius was trying to work on upholding his end of their bargain. He worked with her in the late afternoon, after classes ended but before the sun set. The wilderness outside the Academy where they were training could be hazardous after dark, Sirius had been told. And while Louise still had a long way to go before her peers would acknowledge her as anything other than a failure, she had made progress.

Explosions. Every single spell Louise cast resulted in an explosion. Why, Sirius could only speculate that the girl had magical reserves far, far greater than she had the ability to control. No matter what the two tried, the explosions still happened. Even the weakest spells blew up, although the damage was reduced somewhat.

Still, Sirius did not consider this to be a failure. He was a Marauder, after all, and a Marauder knows the value of a well-placed explosion. Thus, he began to focus on teaching Louise not how to cast spells without exploding, but rather how to take advantage of the explosions she creates. And slowly, but surely, her confidence began to rise.

* * *

The Day of the Void. Apparently, the Halkeginian version of Sunday. It was a day off for the students at the Academy, and Louise had decided to take Sirius to the capital.

"Why?" Sirius had asked.

"Because you've been doing so much for me," Louise replied. "I owe you. You're a mage, right? But you don't even have your own wand. We need to remedy that," she said resolutely.

Sirius did not say anything, but he agreed. Loathe as he was to take this girl's charity, he had no money here, and he really wanted to be able to do magic again. Besides his Animagus transformation, of course.

And so they traveled to the city. The trip there took about three or four hours, something Sirius was rather unused to. Louise took him to a wand shop, apparently a shop known for catering to the higher-end of the nobility. He browsed their selection, and was amazed by the... variety... of wand styles available.

Ollivander's wands were simple, mostly. A wooden stick with a magical core. Occasionally they had some minor ornamentation carved onto the shaft or the handle, but for the most part they were wooden sticks. These wands, however...

Wooden wands of all kinds, metal wands, even stone wands. Wands with jewels affixed to one end or the other. Wands built into various tools or weapons; knives mostly, but also swords, staves, pens, even a riding crop! Some were rather ornamental, often resembling flowers or feathers.

Sirius went from wand to wand, touching and feeling for the magic within them. He ignored the chattering of the shopkeeper behind him, advising him on the various advantages of each wand he picked up. It doesn't matter what the wand is good for, Sirius thought, it just needs to be the _right_ wand. The wand chooses the wizard, after all, not the other way around.

As he moved to a new display, his hand brushed against a small wooden case, and he felt a rush of warmth rush up his arm. He took the case and opened it, and instantly Sirius knew the wand contained within was the wand for him.

This wand was one of the dagger-based variety. The blade was roughly seven inches long, an inch wide at the base, and widening slightly before tapering off to a point. The hilt was shaped like a dog's neck and head, and angled slightly so that the wielder could point the blade straight out without twisting their wrist. The dog's eyes were tiny emeralds, and the shade of green matched his godson's eyes perfectly. It came with a sheath, dyed red with golden trim.

"How much for this one?" Sirius inquired.

"That one?" The shopkeeper asked. "A fine quality wand-knife, if a little old-fashioned. I will admit that it doesn't conduct well for daily, utility magic, but for combat magic it can't be beat." He paused. "Two-hundred new gold."

Sirius cast a sideways glance at his summoner, and saw her stiffen slightly at the price. "That seems a bit steep. I don't suppose you could cut us a deal?"

"Well, I suppose I could go as low as one-seventy-five..." the shopkeeper drawled.

"That's too bad. None of the other wands here really spoke to me." Sirius turned to Louise. "Come, my lady, perhaps we shall find what we seek at another store."

"W-wait!" stuttered the shopkeeper. "Oh, but my old age must be getting to me! I mixed up the price with this other wand here!" he said, holding up another wand, seemingly chosen at random. "The one you've got is only one-fifty."

"Better," Sirius said, a blank, emotionless look on his face. He stared at the shopkeeper, unblinkingly.

"I m-mean, one-forty!" He must have been desperate to make a sale.

Sirius cast Louise a glance, and she nodded her head. "Deal," he said, grabbing the shopkeeper's hand and shaking forcibly. Louise counted out the gold and handed it over, and the two left the store, Sirius's new wand in its sheath and attached to his belt.

As they wandered through the streets, Sirius felt a tugging sensation upon his left wrist. He looked down, and saw the runes branded on his wrist were glowing slightly.

"Louise," he said. "I think perhaps we should go this way," indicating the direction the runes seemed to be pulling.

And so they came to a small shop, tucked into a small alley out of the way of the main shopping district. They walked inside, and found themselves in a weapons shop. The shopkeeper came out from the back, and nearly jumped upon seeing them.

"G-good afternoon, nobles sir and madam! My taxes are paid, and I have all the necessary permits and documents for my wares!" he rambled.

Sirius sent a questioning look towards Louise, who responded in a low tone. "Nobles don't usually buy swords. The only ones that come here are either tax collectors or inspectors."

Sirius nodded, and turned back to the shopkeeper. "My good sir, worry not. I have come to browse your wares. I know not what I seek, but shall know when I see it." Never let it be said that Sirius does not know how to lay on the ham in a conversation.

The shopkeeper nodded excitedly, this man was a collector! And collectors usually meant big sales. He dashed into the back room, almost tripping over his own feet, before returning with a great golden sword.

"This sword was forged by the Germainian alchemist Lord Shupei. It is enchanted to cut through steel like butter."

Sirius looked at the sword, but the tugging sensation he felt earlier seemed to say no. "No, I don't think that is it, good sir. Give me a moment..." Focusing on his wrist, Sirius found his arm lifting and pointing at a pile of old swords in the corner of the store. "Something in there, perhaps?"

The shopkeeper sweated for a moment. "Oh, no, there's nothing in their but rusted junk. You'd be better off looking elsewhere," he said. There was no way in hell he wanted them to find Derf. That poor excuse for a blade would drive them out of the store! Alas, but he should have remained silent.

"Hey! Who are you calling rusted junk?" shouted a voice, originating from the pile of swords. Curiosity aroused, Sirius dug through the pile until he pulled out a particularly rusty sword. The shopkeeper was right on that count, at least. Then, the sword's cross guard began moving, in a motion similar of that of a human jaw. "I'm right here, ya know!"

"A talking sword..." Sirius muttered. Man, would the Sorting Hat love to meet this blade! "Now THIS is something different. How much for this sword, sir?"

The shopkeeper was silent for a moment, thinking. That ruddy rusty talking sword had lost him so many customers in the past! This was his chance to be rid of it! Better low-ball the price, just in case. He took the sword in his hand, and pretended to appraise it."One hundred new gold, sir. It's a steal. Normally a broadsword like this goes for at least twice."

"One hundred new gold?" exclaimed the sword. "I should be worth twenty times that!"

"Shut it Derf, with that attitude and your rusty countenance you're practically worthless!" the shopkeeper whispered to the sword. Then, loud enough for the potential customers to hear, "Just the hundred is good, so long as the blade finds a good home."

Louise interjected. "I'm sorry, Sirius, I don't have that much gold left. We spent almost all of it on your wand."

"Damn. Well," Sirius said to the shopkeeper, "Sorry for wasting your time. I guess we'll be on our way."

"Stop!" shouted the shopkeeper. This was his chance to finally be free of the rusty devil. "Brimir take me, but I'm feeling strangely charitable today. You know what? Take it, it's free!"

Taking the sword in his hands, and wondering why exactly the shopkeeper was so eager to get rid of it, even without making any money at all, Sirius thanked the shopkeeper.

As Louise and Sirius made their way away from the store, the sword spoke again. "Thanks man. You have no idea what it's like rusting away at the bottom of a scrap heap. Name's Derflinger, but you can call me Derf."

"Actually, Derf, I probably have a better idea than you think," Sirius replied, thinking back on his time at Azkaban. He may not have been rusting, but he'd certainly been rotting in that festering cesspool called a prison. "Sirius, but you can call me Sirius."

"Ha!" laughed the sword. Addressing Louise, Derf spoke. "I like this one, girl. You should keep him!"

Louise was startled at the sword suddenly addressing her. "I-I intend to, at least until I find a way to get him home, then I shall set him free. I owe him too much to keep him forever." She looked at the sky. It was getting dark already. "Oh, no! It's almost night! The light won't last long enough for us to get back to the academy!

"Hey, Louise," interrupted Sirius, "grab my hand for a moment."

Confused, Louise did so. Then, with a horrible lurch, and the sensation of being stretched really thin and long, she found herself standing beside Sirius in the hallway outside her room at the academy. "What was that?"

"Apparation," Sirius responded. "Magical translocation."

"But, but... that's impossible!" Louise exclaimed. "It's never been done before!"

"Yeah, well, we do it all the time back home, so..." Sirius shrugged. "Well, I better be off. Thank you for the wand, Louise." And he walked off to his own room. (Louise, recognizing Sirius as an equal in peerage, could not have him stay in her room, even if he was her 'familiar.' He was no mere servant, after all. The scandal would have been unimaginable.)

Watching Sirius walk away, Louise whispered under her breath, "Goodnight, Sirius."

* * *

Well, there's the first real chapter. I know it's not long, but I wanted to update sooner rather than later, and since I work full-time I don't have the time to write "full-size" chapters if I want to update quickly. If you guys would prefer I write longer chapters but post less often, don't be afraid to tell me so!

Yes, I know, the duel with Guiche never happened. Sirius spent the first night and most of the second day unconscious, and so was not present for the events that would have triggered it. Guiche may still get his butt-kicking eventually, but for the moment he's still going about his womanizing ways.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise, nor any of the various anime, games, or whatnot that may be crossed-over now or in the future. (Almost) all the characters and settings in this story are the property of their respective creators, which are not me. There will be one notable exception, but that is quite a ways off in the future yet. Anyways...

You may note that while the last chapter was simply titled "Halkeginia," this one is titled "Halkeginia Part 2." This will be my method of minimizing spoilers from the chapter title; the world may be revealed, but in most cases you'd figure it out by the first few paragraphs anyway. The duration of Sirius's stay there, however, is left unknown until you've read the whole thing.

* * *

The Academy had been generous enough to allow Sirius the use of a vacant room amongst the staff quarters. It was a simple room with few furnishings. A bed, a desk with a chair, a trunk for his clothes. There was a single oil-based lamp mounted on the wall above the desk, and one window. Not a great room perhaps, but for someone with few possessions, it was enough.

Sirius sat at his desk, reading a book he'd borrowed from the Academy's library. He was doing some research, searching for not only a way go get home, but also perhaps a solution to Louise's "blowing things up" problem. Unfortunately, he seemed to be coming up blank on both counts. The closest he'd come was a tome describing several "artifacts" that had seemingly come from another world. Supposedly the Academy itself was actually in possession of one, the legendary Staff of Destruction. Too bad they'd probably never let him anywhere near it, he supposed.

A light knocking sounded from the door. Not wanting to get up, Sirius pulled his dagger and pointed it at the door. With a quiet muttering of "Alohomora," the door was unlocked, and Sirius sheathed the knife. "It's open!" he called.

The door opened, and to Sirius's surprise, there stood one of Louise's classmates. The tall, busty redhead. Kirche von Zerbst, if he remembered right. "Miss... Zerbst, correct? How can I help you?"

Kirche walked into the room, hips swaying seductively. Sirius did not immediately come to any conclusions from that, as she seemed to walk everywhere like that. The girl seemed to think she was sex incarnate, or something like that.

"Call me Kirche, Sirius," she purred.

_Uh oh, _Sirius thought. _Now I KNOW what she wants._

"I've been watching you from afar since you arrived here," Kirche continued, leaning forward to give Sirius a 'better view.' "And I must say you're one of the most... intruiging... men I've ever met."

Sirius put up his hand. "Stop." He sighed. "While I'm... honoured... that you think that, I have to stop you. Miss Zerbst," he said, using her last name intentionally. "I'm sorry, but I'm over twice your age. You're ten years too early for this." The age difference was more than ten years, probably closer to twenty, but Sirius had to admit he'd probably be willing to overlook that once she grew out of her 'minor' status. She _was _remarkably well built, for one.

"Oh, pooh," Kirche pouted, putting on a stupidly adorable sad face.

It was at this moment that through the still-open door, Sirius could see Louise had come by. She was staring at the two of them, who were in an admittedly somewhat-compromising position, (at least from an outsider's perspective.) Her wand-hand twitched irritably for a moment, before she took off running.

_Well, _thought Sirius, _at least she didn't blow anything up._

* * *

The next day, Louise approached Sirius. "Look, Louise," Sirius started. "Nothing happened last night. As... developed... as Miss Zerbst may be, she's still just a kid, and I'm just not into that."

Louise had a strange expression on her face. _Is that how he thinks of me, too?_ Louise wondered. _Am I "just a kid?" _She shook her head. That's not what I came to talk to you about. I was going to tell you last night, but..."

"But you came upon a scene that upset you, and that messed things up. I understand," Sirius completed for her. "It's alright. And I'm impressed at how you kept your temper under control. I was half-expecting you to explode the both of us."

A flash of anger flickered across Louise's face for a moment, then it disappeared. Ignoring that last comment, she continued. "Anyways, I forgot to tell you. Every year, the second-year students get to show off their familiars during a presentation of sorts. It's kind of like a talent show, where we demonstrate what are familiars can do, what makes them great." Louise paused. "I know we're trying to work together as equals, but the class still remembers that you came here when I summoned you during the familiar ritual, so we'll be expected to take part."

"A talent show, eh?" said Sirius. "Well, luckily for you, you summoned one of the most talented people in the world! A legendary Marauder, if I do say so myself. How shall we dazzle the crowd? A prank most foul, perhaps?"

"What? No!" Louise started loudly, and then reduced her voice to a whisper. "There are rumours that Princess Henrietta will be coming to see the familiar demonstration this year. You will NOT embarrass me in front of her!"

"Damn. I suppose that means showing off my ripped muscular frame is out of the question then..."

"O-o-obviously!" exclaimed Louise, a slight blush on her cheeks. "A-anyways, I was thinking we should avoid magic in general. It's probably best kept a secret that you're a mage."

"Oh. Well, there goes all my best ideas. Maybe I could... no, that won't work. Perhaps... no, not that either." Sirius pondered. "Wait a minute. Mages in this world use a wand for all their magic, right?"

"Yes. Only Elves have the power to cast spells without using a wand."

"Only Elves, huh? Well, the elves in my world could do some right crazy things, despite being right crazy themselves," Sirius rambled, thinking of Kreacher. "What if I show up on stage as a dog? And then transform back into a human?"

"What? You want everyone to think you're an elf?" Louise practically screamed at him.

"No, no! _Obviously_ I'm not an elf," Sirius said, again thinking of Kreacher and not realizing that Elves in this world were much more similar to humans than in his own. "A highly magical dog! My transformation's not exactly a spell, persay, there's no incantation, for example. And I've seen dragons and other magical creatures, a dog that can turn into a human isn't exactly out of the question, now is it?"

"I guess..." Louise muttered, not exactly convinced.

* * *

Louise stood nervously alone upon the stage before the assembled audience. She could see, at the back of the audience, her childhood playmate Princess Henrietta, surrounded by guards.

From behind the curtains at the side of the stage, a large black dog padded it's way towards her. It sat down next to her, and let its tongue droop out of it's mouth.

"Presenting, my majestic shapeshifting dog, Sirius!" Louise shouted, loudly enough for everyone to hear. With that, Sirius transformed back into his normal self, and took a deep bow for the crowd. As he stood back up, he saw something troubling.

With the audience facing away from the scene, nobody was aware that a giant... well, giant, made of dirt, mud, and rocks, was approaching the Academy. Sirius shifted back into his dog form, as he could run faster that way, and charged off towards the giant.

Louise, not having noticed the giant, watched with a reddening face as Sirius charged off. "W-wait, Sirius!" She ran after him, leaving a laughing audience behind.

Sirius had reached the giant, which was currently bashing it's rocky fists against one of the Academy's towers, and shifted back into his human form once again. By a gut feeling, he had drawn Derflinger rather than his wand-knife. He felt the runes on his wrist flare, and was filled with the sensation of increased strength, durability, and speed. Spotting a cloaked figure on the giant's shoulder, he charged UP the side of the giant, stabbing it with Derflinger periodically to create handholds when he needed them.

He reached the top of the giant within short order. Facing down the cloaked figure, he greeted her. "Miss Loungeville," he said. "Fancy meeting you here."

The cloaked figure pulled off her hood. "How'd you know it was me?" she asked, for it was indeed the headmaster's secretary.

Sirius shook his head. "Your perfume. It was pretty obvious." Sirius may not have Moony's crazy werewolf sense of smell, but he still had a dog's, and it was enough.

Suddenly, an explosion shook the giant. Sirius looked down, and saw his pink-haired summoner standing on the ground below. She waved her wand again, and this time a chunk of the tower exploded outward.

"LOUISE! YOU NEED TO WORK ON YOUR AIM!" Sirius shouted. She was getting better, but still had room for improvement. "TRY FOR THE KNEES!"

While Sirius was distracted shouting at Louise, Miss Loungeville had dashed inside the recently-created hole in the tower's defenses. When Sirius realized this, he followed.

The tower was apparently a storage room or treasury of some sort. Magical artifacts filled the room. Weapons and staves, orbs and tomes. It was a treasure-hoard that goblins would envy. The secretary stood at the far end of the room, holding a black case.

"You're too late," she laughed, like a cliched supervillain. "The Staff of Destruction is MINE!" She pulled her wand, and cast a barrage of spells at Sirius. He managed to dodge most of them, and on an instinct he didn't know he had, blocked the remainder with Derflinger, who seemed to absorb the deadly magic with ease.

But alas, it seemed that dodging the majority of the spells was a mistake. As the multitude of spells collided with the collection of artifacts behind Sirius, it set off a chain reaction. Potion bottles shattered, books burstIs into flame, metal melted. A crystalline magical orb let out a powerful surge, and a bolt of energy connected with Sirius. He felt a pulling sensation, similar to Apparating but somehow a thousand times worse, as the world seemed to distance itself from him.

_Is this it?_ Sirius wondered. _Is this the end, or am I headed home? _As it turns out, he was wrong on both counts.

* * *

Oh snap! What is Louise to do without her familiar? Is the Familiar-of-Zero-verse doomed? Where will Sirius end up next? Find out next time, on the next episode of DRAGON BALL Z! Just kidding. But siriusly, expect the answer to at least one of those questions next chapter.


End file.
